According to a survey conducted by Nationwide house prices in the UK fell on average of 0.9% last month. The decline seems less severe than the record of 2.5% in May, but prices were now 6.3% lower than a year ago.

The average home now costs £172,415 and is £13,629 cheaper than at the top of the market in October last year.

The survey found that the housing market in Scotland appears to be more resilient than elsewhere in the UK.

Although prices in the three months to June had fallen in Scotland by 1.8% compared with the previous quarter, it was the only area to see an annual growth, up by 0.6%. Nationwide suggested that the sharp rise in oil prices had benefited regions such as Aberdeenshire. It also found that in Scotland house prices did not shoot up as quickly during the housing boom.

The credit crunch and the difficulty for many to get a good mortgage offer have also resulted in many potential buyers staying put across the rest of the UK.

The sometimes unpredictable monthly figures shows that the pace of price falls have eased, down 0.9% in June whereas in May it had dropped 2.5%. It was the eighth consecutive monthly fall house prices.

The year-on-year change across the UK was down 6.3% in June compared with 4.4% in May.

The Bank of England this week said that mortgage approvals in the UK has slumped to 42,000 in May, a 28% fall compared with the previous month and 64% down on a year ago.